They Know We Know They Know: Does Sci-Hub Affect Library Subscriptions?
So does Sci-Hub lead libraries to cancel journals, or doesn’t it? Maybe the answer isn’t a simple yes or no.
The University of California and Elsevier: An Interview with Jeff MacKie-Mason
Rick Anderson interviews Jeff MacKie-Mason about the University of California system’s recent break with Elsevier.
Cabell’s Predatory Journal Blacklist: An Updated Review
Two years after its initial entry into the marketplace, Cabell’s Blacklist has matured into a carefully crafted and highly useful directory of predatory and deceptive journals.
Researcher to Reader (R2R) Debate: Is Sci-Hub Good or Bad for Scholarly Communication?
Transcript of a debate held at the 2019 Researcher to Reader Conference, on the resolution “Sci-Hub Does More Good Than Harm to Scholarly Communication.”
Book Review: Academic Freedom, edited by Jennifer Lackey (Oxford University Press, 2018)
A review of Academic Freedom the latest book in Oxford University Press’s series Engaging Philosophy.
Why You Should Care about Open Access: An Open Letter to Scholarly and Scientific Authors
If you’re a scholarly and scientific author and you think the open access movement is irrelevant to your interests, think again.
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Baffling Funder Mandate
Famed detective Sherlock Holmes does his best to help his friend Dr. Watson figure out how best to comply with the requirements of Plan S.
Do You Have Concerns about Plan S? Then You Must be an Irresponsible, Privileged, Conspiratorial Hypocrite
Over 1,400 researchers signed an open letter expressing concern about Plan S. Then Twitter came for them — and, more particularly, for the woman who organized the letter.
Chefs’ Selections: The Best Books Read During 2018 Part 1
The beginning of the holiday season means it’s time for our annual list of our favorite books read during the year. Part 1 today, Part 2 tomorrow.
Get The Research: Impactstory Announces a New Science-Finding Tool for the General Public
An interview with Impactstory’s Jason Priem about their new tool, Get The Research.
Open Access, Academic Freedom, and the Spectrum of Coercive Power
Who has the most power to take choice away from authors?
HathiTrust Expands Offerings to Researchers: A Conversation with Mike Furlough (and Others)
The HathiTrust Research Center has recently announced a significant expansion of its services. Rick Anderson discusses the changes with Executive Director Mike Furlough and staff.
Denialism on the Rocks: It Just Got a Lot Harder to Pretend that Predatory Publishing Doesn’t Matter
Thanks to a major new international research study, it’s no longer possible to pretend that predatory journals are not a serious problem that needs serious attention. The question is: do we have the will to confront it?
One Author’s Novel Approach to Article Self-Publishing: An Interview with Allyson Mower
An author found that the relevant journals were unwilling to publish an article of historical research that found evidence for a surprising and somewhat controversial proposition about the founding of the University of Utah. So what did she decide to do with her article? Something rather unusual, it turns out.
Is Copyright Piracy Morally Wrong or Merely Illegal? The Malum Prohibitum/Malum in Se Conundrum
Is copyright infringement malum prohibitum (wrong only because it’s prohibited) or malum in se (morally wrong in and of itself)? Interestingly, scholcomm commentators and legal reference materials often characterize it as the former–while both statute and case law treat it like the latter, classifying it as “property theft” and regularly awarding its victims both statutory and punitive damages.